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Type 51/61/71 MBT
The Type 51/61/71 was a family of MBTs standard for the People's Liberation Army starting in 2023 combining the technology of both the United States and the Soviet UNion. The series of tanks became very popular and numerous due to their cheap costs and perfect usage for mass production making the tanks the primary ones used by China throughout the 21st Century and by the 2050s, the Type 51 and 61 became one of the most frequently used tanks in the world. Production history The first tank in the series was the Type 51 in 2023. The Type 51 was initially a light tank and was designed with the intent on being light and mobile as well as easy to produce on a large scale. By 2032, the Type 51 was re-designed with the first variant, the Mark I, remaining a light tank while two new variants, the Mark II and Mark III, being remade as medium tanks adding with them stronger armor and good speed. The Mark I had a 55mm cannon and 25 mm armor which allowed the tank to move at a fast rate of 56 km (35 miles) to compensate for the light armor that the tank had. The Mark II was upgraded with a new 65 mm cannon and 35-40 mm armor making it resistant to light anti-tank guns. New electronics and computer systems helped the Mark II Type 51 make it a more formidable tank capable of taking on both the Soviet T-55 and the American M60 Patton. The tank's performance was positive during the 2030s and 2040s causing concern among the Soviet and American militaries to upgrade their most powerful tanks, the Soviet T-87 and the American M-75 Battle Tank, to produce more modern and powerful variants. The most powerful version,t he Mark III Type 51, was given the same 65 mm cannon, but also got 45 mm armor and nuclear-powered engine to give it a fast spead and made it the most powerful tank in the Chinese arsenal at the time. The Type 61 began production in 2043 following the Mark I Type 51 being phased out of production due to it being outdated by modern tank standards in the early-mid 21st Century. The Type 61 had a 68 mm cannon with 48 mm armor. It had a speed of 88/89 km (55 miles) due to its nuclear-powered engine and more advanced computer and electronic systems which gave it a major edge in battle. The Type 61 was a medium tank and was built to compete with the other Soviet and American tanks which, despite being decades older, still met the new standards and upgrades had no affect on the older tank types while China's pre-Type 51 tanks remained outdated even with upgrades. The Type 61 was sent for testing in Africa and was soon purchased by many African nations, such as Angola and Rhodesia, which also bought and still used by Type 51. Following the Invasion of Alaska in late 2066, the Type 61 was sent to the Alaskan Front and performed well against many of the American tanks, mainly yhr M60 Patton, but the Mark I was being beaten by the Type IV M-75 in one on one engagements. The Mark II Type 61 was created and began competing better with the M-75, but the latter sustained less losses by comparison and retained a small, but noticable edge over the Mark II Type 61 which was mass produced and used large numbers to overrun smaller American tank units. By 2072 however, new models of the M-75 and the introduction of the new 2060 version of the M56 Main Battle Tank rendered the Mark II outclassed and obsolete on the battlefield leading to the creation of the Mark III Type 61 with thicker armor at 56-58 mm and a stronger cannon at 70 mm. These upgrades made the Type 61 equal to its American counterpart, the M-75, but did little against the M56 and found itself being abandoned multiple times by its crew during engagements with squads of M56 MBTs in 2074. Still, the M-75 was being used more often and was equal to the Type 61 rendering the tank still usable by 2070 standards. Following the American invasion of China in 2074, the Type 61 was deplyoed en mass and haulted American advancements, but was being outclassed by 2075. Abandoment by crews became so common, that entire American squads and divisions were using captured Type 61s during the Chinese Campaign. The final tank in the series, the Type 71 began production in 2071 and was sent to the frontlines in 2075 after large numbers of them were produced. These tanks ahd 72 mm cannons and 68 mm armor and were the new main battle tank of the Chinese Army. The first batch was sent to the 127th Mechanized Infantry Division where they shocked the American forces with their peformance in which the Type 71 rendered the M-75 outclassed in one on one engagements and exceptional Chinese tank commanders managed to take out many convoys of M-75. A notable engagement, the Battle of Yichang, saw the Type 71 not only outclass the M-75, but it was also seen taking out M56 MBTs, mainly from the back, but many struck from the sides. The Mark II Type 71 had upgraded ammunition which pierced the front armor of the M56 MBT. While it performed well, the Type 71 was new and thus was in small numbers with only 12,844 being produced by 2075 compared to 44,728 Type 61s. Due to the numerically higher Type 61s, the American armored units continued on without much concern from the American High Command, but the latter ordered Type 71 factories to be bombed first to prevent mass production of Type 71s. By the time of the war's end, there existed 28,744 Type 71s and became the main tank of the Chinese forces. Service History Early Service History The Type 51 was first sent to the frontlines of combat in 2023 after the former colony of Rhodesia requested that China send them tanks to combat the Rhodesian National Front, an insurgent militant organization seeking to overthrow the authoritarian government and restore the "freedom and self-determination of the Rhodesian people". Since the group was right-leaning, the Chinese agreed and the first batch of 2,300 Type 51s were sent to the frontlines. Analysts reported positive accounts of the Type 51 against the RNF forces, especially against their anti-tank weapons which were outdated by 2023 as they dated back to the 1960s. RNF tanks were mainly older M4 Shermans and Matilda tanks that were left behind by the United Kingdom when the British withdrew during the 1960s as part of the Rhodesian Decolonization Act of 1961. 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